Tigran Petrosian

Who was Tigran Petrosian?

Tigran Petrosian was a Soviet Armenian Grandmaster, and World Chess Champion from 1963 to 1969. He was nicknamed "Iron Tigran" due to his almost impenetrable defensive playing style, which emphasised safety above all else.

Petrosian was a Candidate for the World Championship on eight occasions. He won the World Championship in 1963, successfully defended it in 1966, and lost it in 1969. Thus he was the defending World Champion or a World Championship Candidate in ten consecutive three-year cycles. He won the Soviet Championship four times.

Petrosian was recognised as the hardest player to beat in the history of chess by the authors of a 2004 book.